Matthew 1:1–17
Some of us are guilty of skipping any passages that are full of lists of names of people. Then I used to be guilty of that too, and I wondered to myself, What important are names to me? Not until I received clarity from the Holy Spirit. The word of God is God, and everything written in it is for our good.
We must learn to meditate on the word completely and not skip some parts.
This genealogy is not a dull list of names. It is a record of the faithfulness of God in preserving the children of Abraham as a channel through whom Christ could come into the world.
Matthew's genealogy is of Joseph, Jesus' father, in the eyes of the law. Luke gives Mary's genealogy. Mary and Joseph were both descendants of David.
You can see the grace of God in this list of names.
Note the four women mentioned: Tamar (v. 3, Gen 38); Rahab (v. 5, Josh 2; Heb 11:31); Ruth (v. 5, see the Book of Ruth); and Bathsheba (v. 6, 2 Sam 12). Mary is also mentioned. These women illustrate the grace of God.
Worthy of note is the need to learn to remind our children about their genealogy and their history. Teaching them to know where they are coming from is essential.
